The Most Common Toilet Repair (and How to Do It Yourself)
A leaky toilet can cost you your water bills, and a low-pressure flush can cause clogs and other problems. Keeping your toilet in good working order will save you money and allow your plumbing to flow in the right direction. Here are some simple toilet maintenance tasks you can do yourself to save money on future repair bills. All you need is side cutters , pliers and rubber gloves .
Check your toilet’s fill pipe
With a low power flush, the first thing to check is the fill tube. There is a tube that protrudes from the base of the cistern upwards and flows into the bowl, preventing the toilet cistern from overflowing. The fill tube is a smaller, flexible piece of tubing that should be positioned to fit into the overflow tube. If this piece of tubing loosens or comes out of the overflow tube, it will not spray water into the overflow tube to fill the bowl after rinsing. This will cause a slight tide. In most cases, you can simply bend the tube into place, but you can also get a replacement if yours is broken or missing. They also sometimes come with a clip to keep them from falling out.
Check the float
If your fill tube looks okay, check the float nearby to make sure your tank is full enough. If the float is adjusted too high, it can cause your toilet to leak. The float is attached to a pipe as well as a valve at the bottom of the tank that opens when you flush the toilet. Its height is adjustable with a rod and a sliding clip attached to its top. The height of the float should be high enough for the tank to flush the bowl with water when you flush the toilet, but not so high that the water can run down the overflow pipe. Adjust the height of the float by sliding the clip up or down the rod until the reservoir is filled with enough water to flush the bowl with a strong flush.
Check the circuit
Next, check the chair to make sure the flap at the bottom of the tub is open enough to get enough water into the bowl for a powerful flush. If you have a weak flush, shorten the chain by one or two links so that the valve opens a little wider when you pull the handle. Use wire cutters to disconnect the top of the chain from the lever on the inside of the toilet cistern, and then hold the chain at the correct height to check the flap valve. Once you get a strong flow, secure the chain and re-attach it to the arm using pliers to close the link at the top.
Replace damper
If the damper does not close completely, your toilet will work because it will constantly flush very slowly. It can also cause poor flushing because the tank may never be completely full. You can get a replacement damper if your old one is worn out. Before removing the old damper, you need to turn off the water in the toilet, usually either outside the house or from the basement. You can then empty the tank by flushing the toilet. Not all toilets have the same exact damper configuration, so finding the right part will be easier if you know the make and model of your toilet. If not, you can take a photo of the damper or take the old damper with you to the hardware store.
There will be one or two joints to which the flap is attached at one end where it opens on hinges. Slide the flap off the hinge or hinges and detach the chain from its top by opening it. To attach the new flap, the knuckles must slide over their counterparts at the base of the overflow tube, and then you can clip the chain to the top. Then make sure the damper is closed and turn the water back on to test it.